Kalashnikov Concern Production up 230%

Partial-privatization has been good to Kalashnikov Concern. First quarter production is up 230% from the first quarter of 2013. RIA reports …

“In the first three months of the year we had a record-high volume production of small arms in the amount of 31,000 items, which makes 41 percent of the total output of similar products for 2013,” the company said.

“The current results are 230 percent higher than those in the first quarter last year,” the company added.

Positive dynamics was observed in most areas of production in the first quarter of this year.
“By the end of 2014 we expect the production of this product to increase by 27 percent compared to 2013, while in 2015 the growth should reach 17 percent compared to the previous year,” the press-service added.

Frustratingly Kalashnikov is not returning my calls, so I don’t know what this production increase is attributed to. I think the most likely explanation is an increased focus on consumer firearms, combined with increased demand in the USA along with Russian military orders for munitions. The old Izhmash was far more concerned with their shrinking military firearm sales than the less prestigious consumer market than they were for the lucrative consumer firearms and military munitions market.

Founder and Dictator-In-Chief of TFB. A passionate gun owner, a shooting enthusiast and totally tacti-uncool. Favorite first date location: any gun range. Steve can be contacted here.

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Josh

So what would they have to do to get those guns here? Would it be shipping in hunting rifles to deban or is there another option?

floppyscience

They can either import them as “sporting” rifles, or manufacture them stateside. That’s it.

If they import them in “sporting” configurations they could always convert the rifles back to original before shipping them out, though it would probably be costly.

mark

If I understand correctly this is what Arsenal does. They get sporter versions imported, convert them, and then sell to the consumer with compliance parts installed.

echelon

Yes that’s why everyone bitches about Century WASRs and such. They are built off of kits that are often missing barrels and/or receivers so they are just assembled from random parts. Attention to detail and quality control then comes into play.

Or you go Arsenal’s route and import the gun in a sporting configuration and then convert it to conventional style. That is why they are $1000. Same with Saiga shotguns.

So once again we have “laws” that are meant to restrict availability but in the end all they do is drive up costs or drive down quality…

Scott

Except WASR’s are entirely made in Romania. All Century does is remove the butthole stock, remove the pinned muzzle nut, open up the magwell, and add some 922r compliant parts for good measure.

Also Arsenal has a special “deal” with Kalashnikov group where they don’t get full rifles per se just the meat and potatoes of the gun where they finish assembly. If they got them as full sporter rifles they would have the FCG pins in the rear which the Arsenal “FIME” rifles lack as well as the other sporter marks on imported stock Saiga’s.

Rich Guy

PLEASE bring us the AK-107/8 and AK12 you promised last year!

dp

Talk to your Kenyan, will ya?!

Maxpwr

They have a whole bunch of insurgents to arm in that part of Ukraine they are invading by proxy so production is up.

Steve (TFB Editor)

unlikely. The reason for the companies previous financial troubles were that the Russian military had so many guns stockpiled, they did not want to buy any more.

The Hun

“Insurgents” and “invading” are relative terms- nonetheless- there is not a finer weapon than the AK to participate with.

hydepark

Crimea was invaded by Russia. Armed insurgents are attacking state buildings all along Ukraine’s Eastern section. Explain the relativity you speak of? I’m by no means supporting the IMF or EU takeover of Ukraine. But I am arguing that Ukraine is a sovereign state willing and able to decide its own destiny. Sounds like The Hun belongs in front of a camera with Russia Today behind him.

Zugunder

Crimea was “invaded” by troops which was there anyway, practically without bloodshed, and with support of locals majority… So much for “invasion”.

hydepark

Crimea, and now mainland Ukraine, have both been verified as having been invaded by Russian troops. The proof is out there in countless videos, some of the best have been done by Vice News in its “Russian Roulette” series. And as to bloodshed, there’s been plenty. People being gunned down along highways, being kidnapped in broad daylight, etc. etc. Don’t come on to this blog spreading misinformation handed down by Moscow. You may not like the truth, but it is what it is.

Zugunder

“have both been verified” nope… And don’t worry for me, i have enough brains to read sources from both sides and make my own view. All what i said you can read on yahoo news, for example, of course you have to take down your ermahgerd-russians-are-evil-barbarians-colored glasses “Don’t come on to this blog spreading misinformation handed down by Moscow.” i say — don’t come on this blog if you want to talk about politics in the first place.

hydepark

I never said Russia was evil, let alone all of it’s citizens. Nice try, though. All you have to do is go on YouTube and look up the Russian Roulette series, along with countless other videos. Simon Ostrovsky, the host, has numerous videos showing Russian soldiers occupying Ukrainian military bases by force. Simon himself was the subject of a brutal kidnapping that lasted a week. He also has a few videos where he asks to see passports of nearby soldiers or “little green men,” and in more than one case, such as when he interviewed several Cossacks, they show him Russian passports. TheHun was the first to try to spread the lie about it not being an invasion. You seconded the lie, and I’m here and will continue to be here to sweep up after those lies. Russia Today is Kremlin sponsored state propaganda. We have our own versions here like CNN, MSNBC, etc. By no means am I saying propaganda isn’t on both sides. But like I said before, you may not like the truth, and you may find it hard to cope with. That doesn’t mean it’s not the truth.

I come here for gun news, and politics happens to be a common subject in that realm.

Zugunder

Uhm, i’m not saying they aren’t Russians. The thing is they was there all time, Russian bases was there long before Crimea become Ukrainian. Russians just have to leave their bases and here they are. Bloodshed? How much of that was? 2 mens, r.i.p.. But locals support them, you can’t deny this. Just compare how Russian “invasion” of Crimea was done to what happening right now in eastern Ukraine under Turchinovs rule. I bet if Russian forces were pulled out from Crimea, locals would’ve ended up in much worse situation.
And about Russian Roulette series, i simply avoid any biased stuff on youtube, from both sides. You can find tons of stupid videos about evil fascists right sector, offending Russian supporters.

dp

…capital B.S.

Lionheart

Will this mean cheaper saiga rifles?

JumpIf NotZero

LOL, no.

The days of the $200 siagas are long gone. They discovered people will pay a LOT more for them.

Doom

pay a lot more for them
>when there aren’t 40 of them in every gun store
>during a gun panic
>before everyone and their sister had a new scurry black gun
>before blackguns are going down in price, lower than before sandy shopping spree.

the Saiga’s should easily be 250-350 once they start pouring in, Izma…Kalashnikov concern… pledged several hundred thousand rifles in 2014 alone if I remember right. pretty sure the article was on this site a while ago.

Rusty Shackleford

Didn’t the U.S. Government buy a lot of AK-47s as well as mags and ammo for them last year?

mxprivateer

The CIA did for their arms depot in Texas.

11b

Hellloooo highly photogenic AK girl….

DiverEngrSL17K

Agreed, but dowwnn, lads, dowwwnnn……:):):).

J.T.

If one of Obama’s sanctions is to stop arms imports from Russia to the US, that production increase will be for naught. He has already threatened that it is one of the options on the table due to Russia’s meddling in Ukraine.

dp

That’s what I say – privatize and you see miracles happening. On side-note: chicky assemblers they have at Kal’s don’t they?!

DiverEngrSL17K

As above — Dowwnn, lads, dowwwnnn! :):):) . Always good to hear from you. dp, and hope all is well where your are!

An Interested Person

Where can I find a woman to assemble my AKs? Did the Russians get all the good ones?

n0truscotsman

in Russia, all of the unattractive women are drowned when they are young…
But to answer your question, yes they did

seriously?

Hopefully this will give us AK’s at their old prices…

1911a145acp

Oh my… Redheads and AKs – what’s not to love?

Core

I have always wanted a Russian issue Dragonov, preferably the new model. And Im wondering how does that lovely lady maintain her well manicured nails on the production line?? I worked assembly for 9 months and my hands looked like kraken skin..

Lance

Got to make more glorious AK-74s for liberation of Ukraine! LOL

GuidoFL

Just send as much production as possible to America, we love AK’s !

buzzman1

Something is going on. a few years ago they were reporting a stockpile of over 5 million AKMs in storage made to fill expected Russian arms contracts that never came. Where are those rifles?

Doom

not coming into the US because they are banned. especially if they were manufactured as machine guns.

buzzman1

That’s my point and the Russian army doesn’t need them. They are going somewhere we don’t want them to. Putins fomenting problems somewhere.

Doom

or you know…they could
>be in storage for later use
>be sold to a country legitimately for military or consumer use
>being sold to less than savory countries

we have no say in where Russia sends its guns, just as Russia has no say where we send ours.

buzzman1

I’m picking option 3. Putin is a so intent on remaking the soviet union and causing the downfall of the US that he is willing to tear the world apart.

Doom

Putin is intent on the downfall of the US… Really? If he destabilizes nearby regions it is a mess he will have to deal with like they do in Chechnya, I doubt Putin is in a rush for too many more thorns in his side like that.

Guest

I would love to see a SOPMOD Block ii clone AR or a MK18 clone AR (or M4 for either). Something with goodies hanging off of it (to include a suppressor and Aimpoint/Eotech/Elcan Spectre) like he has in the SCAR images. For $65 I know I want an AR or M4 image, but I would like it to be more than plane jane. I would especially like it to have something extra that any of my AR’s, like my SBR MK18 clone, has added to it. I have that Mark Fingar from Larue MK18 print with the layout of all of the accessories laying around it. Having a SOPMOD type AR/M4 in one of these images would guarantee my purchase.

Doom

please god let the rifles start pouring in, and at 2-300 each…………… make them the new SKS………..